1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the acquatic device art, and more particularly, to a steerable body board for surfing.
2. Background Art
Body boards and surfboards are widely used to ride the front face of a breaking wave. Body surfing is also popular where the swimmer rides the front face using only his body. The object of all these rides is to move from a floating position in the water to hydroplaning rapidly across the surface of the water using hydrodynamic forces.
Surfboards are usually of sufficient size to support the entire weight of the surfer and allow the surfer to stand on the upper surface and move around during a ride to change the direction of travel. Various types of surfboards are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,160,897; 3,276,050; 3,337,886; 3,747,138; 3,902,207; and 3,988,794.
Body boards are smaller and generally only support the upper part of the body out of the water in a prone position. The legs of the surfer remain in the water. A body board is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,165. An aid for a body surfer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,842 that fits only the hand to facilitate hydroplaning across the front face of a breaking wave.
None of these self-propelled hydroplaning devices have rudders or other movable features for controlling the direction of movement during a ride. The surfboards and body boards rely primarily upon the shifting of body weight by the surfer to control the direction of travel. The body boards may also be maneuvered by the dragging of hands, arms, feet, or legs.